Work From Home Guide-Is It Real?

Let's face it, many people want to work from home and could use a real work from home guide. Word came out today in the U.S. that the unemployment rate has jumped yet again to 9.8% as of Dec 3rd 2010.

This means that the unemployment rate has been over 9% since March of 2009, and over 8% since January of 2009. Many people are at home because jobs are not available, and the “work from home” market is booming as these people try to find a way to make the best of their situation.

If you’ll notice, I’ll call it a “market” because that is exactly what it is. There are many different vendors and so-called “job opportunities” that are preying on the desperation that has been bred by the unemployment numbers above. Entire businesses are built around targeting these folks and selling them “opportunities”, much of it occurring online. From my experience, the vast majority of these so-called “opportunities” are of little to no value, and often serve to relieve the job seeker of their precious funds without providing anything in return. Below, I’ll list a couple of things you’ll definitely want to stay away from:

Guru’s- These are self-proclaimed experts, often in the fields of real estate, multi-level marketing, and internet marketing who make exceptional claims about the amount of money that can be made doing exactly what they tell you. Doing that almost always requires you to give up an email, watch a long-winded video that shows them in a huge car, a huge house, and generally looking like Robin Leach from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that it is almost always pitched as being “easy”. Once you listen to the story of their own personal greatness, you’ll be asked to spend a sum to buy their “system”, or “videos” or “turnkey plan”. Usually, some kind of concocted proof is shown to “prove” their legitimacy. What they don’t tell you is that if they are making any money, it is usually not using their system, but it is in selling their “system” to unsuspecting job seekers…in other words, marketing.

Anything to do with “posting links” or “Acai Berry”- Ok,these ads are EVERYWHERE online now, and not just on low traffic anonymous sites. These campaigns are run by well financed marketing firms who are looking for your email address and your money, and you often see them on “legit” sites such as MSNBC, CNN, etc through online ad networks The posting links pitch usually involves a picture of an attractive housewife who is making an obscene amount of money “posting links” through Google (whatever in the world that means). The Acai Berry bit is usually targeting the weight-loss market, but often will try to get you to buy, and also market for them, usually providing you with little to no income in the process. Same goes for the “posting links on Google”. Any job opportunity with an upfront cost to you to learn a secret, system, tactic, or buy product is almost always a guaranteed loser.

Data Entry at Home- Once again, precious few of these so-called “opportunities” are real, and usually require you to buy something in order to begin “working”. Be careful.

So, the real question becomes, are there work at home opportunities? The answer is yes, but it will require, time, effort and diligence on your part to make it happen. If you don’t have the patience, or drive to motivate yourself, you probably are better off applying for a traditional job. However, if you are looking to create a real opportunity that can have lasting, long term personal and financial rewards, than you might just be ready to see what is possible in the world of affiliate marketing. To learn how to get started, click the link below.